Maybe You Want Her, Maybe You Need Her
by aBraveNewShip
Summary: It all comes down to this. With Emma as the Dark One, only Regina can step up and take the place as the Savior. Can the former Evil Queen do what needs to be done? Or will the Dark One destroy her before she gets the chance? SwanQueen


**A/N** \- Ok, so I, like a ton of people I gather, was inspired by the S5 premier on Sunday. There are so many ways this story could play out, so many opportunities for SwanQueen. Of course, I'm not holding my breath. So, here's a quick something I was thinking about. I really wish I had the energy and the commitment to write this as a multi-chapter story because there's so much that could happen, especially with the time jump. I'm sorry I can't do that now! But, I hope you enjoy this!

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Storybrooke was a war zone— what was left of it, that is. The formerly quaint town was now nothing but rubble and ash. Every store had been burned to the ground, every car buried beneath piles of debris. Storm clouds hung low in the sky, as if the earth could feel the darkness that lurked through the streets.

Main Street had been destroyed. Fires still flickered as smoke rose into the air. Sparks spat from ripped wires and water poured into the road from dismantled pipelines. The heroes and the villains had readied themselves for battle, though none of them could have ever truly been prepared for what was to come. During a lull in the fight, the ground beneath them began to shake and the concrete split. Like the roots of a tree, lines spread every which way as the cement crumbled under their feet.

Frantic pedestrians and terrified citizens took cover from the carnage, as the heroes and the villains exhausted every effort they had. Bodies were flung through buildings and weakened forms were tossed against the pavement. Blood splattered against sidewalks and stained shirts. Visions were blurred by tears and the haze that swirled from explosions.

On opposite ends of the abyss, the warriors struggled to persevere. They had long since been disarmed; swords, knives, wands and arrows had been swiped from their firm grasps. They were all rendered powerless by the one person they were struggling to protect. The only end in sight was too morbid to think about.

Strained moans of agony and hoarse cries for help echoed endlessly. Many lay on the ground, unable to rise from their spots. Some suffered from broken bones, others from superficial wounds. Cuts bled out and bruises began to form. Regina was the only one who managed to continue on, completely disregarding her broken wrist and twisted ankle. She dug her feet into the ground and braced herself for another attack. The Dark One was nowhere to be seen, but Regina could feel evil in the shadows. It wasn't over yet.

Suddenly, Regina doubled over. She knew instantly what had been done. "This is what happens to heroes," a voice hissed. "They always die in the end." Dancing around Regina, the Dark One aimed and fired. She knocked the former Queen backwards and watched as she teetered. "You could've prevented this, you know. You brought this on yourselves. I told you that you'd lose, but you didn't believe me— none of you did."

Straightening slowly, Regina locked eyes with the Dark One, her heart beat evenly in the woman's grasp. "Emma," she begged.

But it was no use. Emma Swan was gone. She'd been consumed by the darkness. "Tell me, Your Majesty, how does it to know you've failed the one person who needed you most?" In a puff of black smoke, the Dark One conjured the dagger. She examined the shiny metal object as if she'd never seen it before. "It's a shame really," the Dark One mused. "All of your hard work, your fight to be good— it all comes down to this." Lowering her gaze until it landed on an exhausted Regina, her green eyes flickered and for a moment, Regina saw the woman she used to know. Emma had emerged, but there was no pity in her face, no sympathy, no emotion. When she spoke, her voice was soft but flat, "I trusted you. I waited and I fought, but you… you never—"

"Please," Regina pleaded. Her knees were threatening to give out from under her.

Shaking her head, the Dark One's gaze shifted to Regina's heart; she felt it pulse rhythmically, the red glow fading as she held it. "Prove her right," the Dark One said, her voice deeper and her eyes colder. "Show the Princess what you're really made of. Show her you're strong enough." Looking over at Regina, it was clear that the Dark One had regained control. Without warning, the she thrusted the dagger into Regina's good hand and yanked it forward until the tip of the blade touched the blonde woman's chest. "Do it," she dared. Regina clamped down on her bottom lip as her hand trembled uncontrollably. A drop of blood dripped from her temple where she'd been hit by a shard of glass. Her entire body shivered as she clutched the dagger fearfully. With a surrendering sigh, she lowered the knife and the Dark One simply glowered at her. She swiped the dagger away from Regina and scoffed menacingly. "She may believe in you, but I know the truth: you're weak, Regina. You're mother was right."

Regina stiffened slightly as a shiver ran down her spine. How did the Dark One know that? She'd never told anyone, not a single soul. How the hell could the Dark One knows something like that?

Turning soft again, the Dark One's eyes flashed green for a brief moment. Her features relaxed and her scowl melted away. "Why are you still fighting?" Emma asked. There was a hint of misery in her question, as if she truly didn't understand.

"Because," Regina choked out. "You never gave up on me. And I'm _not_ giving up on you." Turning away from the brunette, Emma looked down to find Regina's heart in her hand. She sucked in a breath as she hurriedly returned it to its rightful owner, terrified of what she'd done. Regina stumbled and hunched over, relieved to have her heart once again.

Staggering backwards, Emma took in her surroundings. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the destruction she'd waged on the town that had become her home. She looked out across the street and tried not to scream at the sight of her parents laying unconscious, their clothes covered in soot and a dark red substance. For a brief moment, she was free from the darkness, only to be trapped in a prison of guilt and horror.

"Emma," Regina panted. Cautiously, she took a step forward and reached out to the blonde. But Emma pulled away.

"Don't," Emma grunted. The silence around her was deafening. The cries for help and strained moans of agony had faded into nothingness. Fires had burned out and the had smoke dissolved. All that was left was Emma and Regina. Emma looked down at the dagger, at the letters inscribed in it. She noted her reflection in the gleaming silver and shook with anger. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." The answer was right in front of her, it had been the whole time. Emma knew what she had to do.

Regina recognized that look of realization; she'd made the same decision that night in the mines. "Emma, no!" she heard herself shout. She pushed past the burning in her leg and ran up to the Savior longingly, closing the gap between them. "There has to be another way," she echoed, haunted by flashbacks of the last time she'd said that.

"There isn't." When the two were just nose-to-nose, Regina searched Emma's green eyes helplessly. "I'm sorry."

Stubborn as hell and unwilling to back down, the brunette whispered beseechingly. "Please... don't."

Letting the dagger fall slightly, Emma furrowed her brow in curiosity. "Why not?" She was desperate for a reason, any reason.

"Because," Regina began boldly. Without thinking, without hesitating, Regina leaned in and pressed her lips against Emma's; they were cold at first, and unmoving. But slowly, Emma gave in. She fell against Regina's feeble body, her eyes shut tight.

The moment the Queen and the Savior made contact, there was a spark. A flash of white light burst from between them. Lightning struck from the sky and clouds went rumbled as as Emma and Regina clung to one another. Black tethers shot from Emma's form and intertwined with the opposing force. Darkness and light wrestled with one another, all the while Emma and Regina held on tight.

And suddenly, with a startling crack, everything came to an end. Emma's eyes shot open and finally, she could breathe. For the first time in weeks, her thoughts were her own; her feelings were her own. The darkness was gone. The dagger in her hand was blank. They'd won. It ended right where it began. One by one, the fallen heroes scrambled to their feet. As the skies cleared, those wounded in battle limped towards the edge of the deep chasm and observed the return of the Savior.

While the rest of the town huddled together, the only person who existed to Emma was Regina. The brunette was seemed ready to pass out; her eyelids were heavy and she ached something fierce, and yet, here she was, still standing. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave crashing against the shore when she saw that Emma had truly returned.

Emma stared at Regina in shock, unable to let her go. "You did it," she wowed. "You saved me."

"Of course I did," Regina replied swiftly, as if it were the most obvious statement. Seeing Emma's familiar green eyes looking back at her, Regina knew she that she was here to stay and pushed past the pain. Emma was back. They'd really done it. "I made you a promise, Emma."

Shaking her head, overwhelmed and confused as all hell, Emma gently cupped the woman's cheek. "Regina? I love you too."


End file.
